Now for a story that's going to matter a whole lot to part of the New England Patriots fanbase and be irrelevant to everyone else: The "Madden 15" rosters are officially out.

The player ratings in EA Sports' annual football franchise are a big talking point for some because they A) heavily impacts how the game plays and B) act as a point of reference for how good each NFL team in and how good each player is. A high rating is a point of respect, one that a lot of players are aware of (especially speed).

If nothing else, the Madden ratings are a clear barometer of how players and teams are rated in people's minds around the league. They're far from accurate and end up creating shouting matches over who's ranked where, but it gives players a clear rating that's fun to talk about.

Coming off another appearance in the AFC Championship Game, the Patriots drew some pretty favorable ratings, coming in tied for the fourth-best team rating in the NFL along with some solid individual ratings.

Player Ratings

You can find the complete player ratings for the Patriots at GoMadden.com or in this Google Doc (compiled by sports video game blog PastaPadre) featuring all 32 teams. In the meantime, here are the Top 10 rated players in this year's installment of Madden.

Patriots Madden Ratings

Player

Overall Rating

Speed Rating

Notable Ratings

Darrelle Revis

97

93

98 Man Coverage

Rob Gronkowski

96

83

96 Catch in Traffic

Devin McCourty

94

93

97 Zone Coverage

Tom Brady

93

57

99 Awareness/93 Throw Power

Stephen Gostkowski

92

60

92 Kick Accuracy/93 Kick Power

Vince Wilfork

91

56

96 Strength/56 Throw Power

Jerod Mayo

91

87

93 Tackle

Nate Solder

91

73

95 Run Block/92 Pass Block

Logan Mankins

91

62

92 Run Block/77 Pass Block

Julian Edelman

88

88

88 Speed/94 Catching

Some quick takeaways:

• Why include Wilfork's throw power? Because it's the sixth-highest on the team, behind the three list QBs, college quarterback Julian Edelman and high school quarterback Jamie Collins. Why's it so high? Obviously, someone at EA Sports saw Wilfork do this.

• At 57, Brady's speed remains comically low.

• Interesting to see Wilfork and Mayo retain high ratings after missing most of 2013 with injury. Although, Madden tends to give proven veterans the benefit of the doubt with ratings and not rate up-and-coming players high enough.

• One player hurt by that latter element is Jamie Collins, who rates as an 81 overall, even many consider him to be a rising star for the Patriots.

• Revis immediately steps in as the highest-rated member of the Patriots, with McCourty ranking third overall. Will Brandon Browner (86 overall) in tow, along with the developing Alfonzo Dennard (80 overall) and Duron Harmon (76 overall), the Patriots have the potential for a dominant seconday.

• Elite players: As EA Sports revealed earlier, the Patriots had a few key players in the top five of their position group with: Revis No. 2 among corners, McCourty No. 3 among free safeties, Mayo No. 5 among middle linebackers, Gronkowski No. 2 among tight ends and Brady tied for No. 4 among quarterbacks.

• Having Brady as the fourth best quarterback in the league isn't that shocking. What may surprise fans, though, is the fact that the quarterback Brady is tied with is Russell Wilson. Some people in New England might take offense with that rating and comparison.